ASIA AFGHANISTAN A tangential side-effect of the Saudi conflicts with Iran and Qatar is that the Saudis have of late been participating in international efforts to isolate the Taliban. Both Qatar and Iran have relationships with the Taliban, so this allows the Saudis to appear the righteous and loyal US allies. But the Saudis are … Continue reading World update: May 10 2018

SYRIA More information has come in about the apparent overnight exchange of artillery fire between the Israeli military and somebody in Syria. The Israelis say that Iran's Quds Force attacked targets in the Golan Heights, which if true--emphasis on "if," the Iranians insist it wasn't them--would be the first time Iran has ever directly attacked … Continue reading Middle East update: May 10 2018

EUROPE Having yet again been treated to the back of Donald Trump's hand, the European Union is scrambling to try to salvage the Iran nuclear deal--but it sounds like it's going to be a tough sales job: A day after the US president broke with the landmark 2015 agreement and warned he would seek to … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: May 9 2018

ASIA ARMENIA New Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told reporters on Wednesday that he's open to holding talks with Azerbaijan, but he's made it pretty clear that he's committed to upholding Armenia's claim on the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. Pashinyan visited Nagorno-Karabakh only hours after assuming the PM office on Tuesday, and says he wants the enclave's leaders … Continue reading Asia/Africa update: May 9 2018

SYRIA This is very much a developing story, but the Israeli military says that Iranian forces in Syria launched some 20 rockets at Israeli positions in the Golan Heights on Wednesday night. There have been no reports of casualties (the Israelis say that their Iron Dome system intercepted several of the rockets) but this does … Continue reading Middle East update: May 9 2018

ASIA ARMENIA Nikol Pashinyan, seen below with a megaphone in front of his face, was elected Armenia's new prime minister on Tuesday, one week after failing to secure the post and several days after agreeing to call off the protests caused by his failure to secure the vote last week. Pashinyan won by a 59-42 … Continue reading World update: May 8 2018

Obviously the big news of the day is Donald Trump's announcement that he's decided to violate the Iran nuclear deal. But there are a few things to cover elsewhere. SYRIA Not long after Trump's big announcement, Syrian state media reported explosions near a military base south of Damascus. These turn out to have been at … Continue reading Middle East update: May 8 2018

I won't be around most of this afternoon and evening, so please accept this midday update to tide you over until tomorrow. Please check out my latest appearance on Chapo Trap House. I spent part of the interview in some kind of strange fugue state unaware of the current date, so you'll hear me refer … Continue reading World update: May 7 2018

ASIA ARMENIA Armenians who are struggling to make ends meet are hoping that whatever government emerges from this week's parliament vote can do a better job of managing the country's economy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHkKa38oVp4 AFGHANISTAN The Taliban's spring offensive continues to be an active one. On Saturday, Afghan forces, helped by US air support, defended a major … Continue reading World update: May 5-6 2018

SYRIA The Iraqi air force conducted another round of airstrikes on ISIS targets in Syria over the weekend. The Iraqis claim that the positions they hit were used by the group's leaders, though of course that doesn't mean any of them were killed. A cynic might argue that Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has political … Continue reading Middle East update: May 5-6 2018